Making It looks at a voluntary programme called VinylPlus, created to act as a framework for sustainable development in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry across Europe

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Since it was first commercially produced in the late 1920s, polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, has become one of the most widely used polymers. It is used virtually everywhere: from window frames and pipes to credit cards and blood bags.

Due to its light weight, durability and stability, PVC can offer energy, cost and material efficiency gains for sectors such as building and construction, water distribution, health and transportation. PVC is intrinsically a low-carbon plastic. Fifty-seven percent of its molecular weight is chlorine (derived from common salt), 5% is hydrogen and 38% is carbon – compared to more than 80% carbon in most other thermoplastics. PVC also consumes less primary energy in the manufacturing phase than other commonly used plastics.

PVC products contribute significantly to energy efficiency through low thermal conductivity. For example, PVC window frames have three times the heat insulation efficiency of aluminium profiles, increasing the energy efficiency of homes and workplaces while maintaining our comfort.

There are several intrinsic benefits that the use of PVC brings, but of course, as with any material and human activity, it has a carbon footprint and an impact on the environment.

VinylPlus is the voluntary sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry. It aims to create a long-term sustainability framework for the entire PVC value chain in the 28 European Union states, plus Norway and Switzerland.

Through VinylPlus, manufacturers progressively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along the production chain. VinylPlus identifies and measures the GHG footprint of PVC goods and production processes. It then adopts targets to increase the use of green energy and technologies to enhance the efficiency of materials used. As the next step, it engages businesses who work to meet the targets together.

One of the targets set by VinylPlus members is to reduce the energy consumption for PVC resin production by 20% by 2020.

Brigitte Dero, general manager of VinylPlus, told Making It, “European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers members’ energy consumption data for 2012-2013 showed that the energy needed to produce a tonne of PVC had decreased by an average of 10.2% compared to the agreed 2007-2008 baseline.”

“This improvement came from a combination of factors, such as improvements in eco-efficiency, operations and equipment. VinylPlus is confident it is on track to achieve the targeted improvement by 2020.”

Another focus for VinylPlus is recycling. This is PVC’s greatest green potential. Using recycled PVC helps meet resource efficiency targets and allows the preservation of natural resources.

For example, manufacturing window frames with 70% recycled PVC, rather than all new PVC, delivers savings of up to 50% in energy, over 60% in air emissions, and more than 60% in water emissions.

Through the VinylPlus initiative, the European PVC industry aims to recycle 800,000 tonnes of PVC per year by 2020. In 2016, the amount recycled with the support of VinylPlus was around 540,000 tonnes (22% of the total recyclable waste in Europe). This represents a significant increase on previous years: 444,000 tonnes recycled in 2013 (18% of recyclable waste) and 257,000 tonnes in 2011 (11%).

According to one conservative estimate, each kilogram of PVC that is recycled results in two kilograms of CO2 being saved. On this basis, PVC recycling in Europe now represents more than one million tonnes of CO2 saved per year. In addition, according to a study by Tauw, an independent European consulting and engineering company, on average one employee is needed to recycle 500 tonnes of PVC per year. Therefore, the PVC recycled in Europe in 2016 contributed to the creation of more than 1,000 direct jobs in recycling plants.

Stephan Sicars, Director of the Department of Environment at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), explained how VinylPlus, with its voluntary commitment to green industry and technologies, helps producers of PVC and plastic goods to approach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “VinylPlus allows industries to come together and discuss the main characteristics of sustainability and their relevant contribution – and VinylPlus can make this visible for governments and civil society.”

Sicars continued, “VinylPlus is a link between industry, society and governments; a forum that features the industries’ capabilities, innovations and fascinating new products, and promotes their acceptance and mainstreaming, resulting in policy initiatives by civil society.”

The European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan 2015 reaffirmed the need to increase plastics recycling as part of the overall transition to a circular economy. In this context, VinylPlus’s Brigitte Dero says, “the private sector can play an important role in moving away from the business-as-usual model to a circular economy that underpins sustainability and creates green industry…We are moving the European PVC industry towards a circular economy and have already demonstrated significant progress and achievements towards our sustainability goals.”

One response to “Vinyl Plus: committed to sustainable development”

“I’m happy to see that in its Progress Report 2017 VinylPlus is reporting its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals”, said Christophe Yvetot, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Representative to the European Union. “I’d like to congratulate VinylPlus; we know how difficult it is to bring a whole value chain together to achieve more sustainability. VinylPlus shows that industry can change, industry can contribute. VinylPlus is a good role model and we are ready to work even more closely with them.”